Guess it's common for some linguistialists (a self-created word) to say that Ukrainian and Belarusian is distorted Russian, which is distorted Old Church Slavonic, from which came also distorted languages like Macedonian and it's distorted form, Bulgarian.

Podlachian and Ruthenian on the other hand is distorted Polish, which is distorted Czech, Slovak is distorted Czech also, and Czech is distorted Moravian, which is distorted Sorbian, a form of distorted Serbian, and Serbian is distorted Croatian, which is distorted Serbo-Croatian... In the end the only "clean" language seems to be Slovenian, though one might argue that it's infected by German, although less than, for example, Silesian.

God: Hey Mary, can you carry and give birth to the theanthropos?Mary: Uh, hey I'd really like to, but I already promised you I'm gonna stay a virgin.God: That's cool. I can make this work without you losing your virginity.Mary: For serious?God: Totally. Just say the word and --poof-- you'll have the Son of God inside you.Mary: Let's do it.God: Righteous!

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Vain existence can never exist, for "unless the LORD builds the house, the builders labor in vain." (Psalm 127)

If the faith is unchanged and rock solid, then the gates of Hades never prevailed in the end.

Indeed, I made it in a basic MS paint program. None of that rich-kid paintshop pro for me! However, I used the curving technique rather than straight lines. Straight lines are so scholastic and western! In Orthodoxy we move and bend and curve!

You should be careful with those, as MS stands for "Mormons & Scientology"

I do not mean this to be disparaging by any means, but can it be said that modern-day Rabbinic Jews worship the true God even though they reject the doctrine of the Trinity? And the belief that our Lord Jesus Christ is God?

I think I know the answer to this, but I am curious to hear what you all think.

According to what He told the Samaritan woman, yes.

Who's this Jesus guy think He is, telling this heretic things like that?

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I know a secret about a former Supreme Court Justice. Can you guess what it is?

North American Eastern Orthodox Parish Council Delegate for the Canonization of Saints Twin Towers and Pentagon, as well as the Propagation of the Doctrine of the Assumption of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 (NAEOPCDCSTTPPDAMAFM®).

If God feels that Father Seraphim has achieved the spiritual heights of a glorified saint, then God will prove it through the miraculous cures he will give through his intercession.

Miracles are not always the sign of Sainthood. Lack of miracles is not always a sign of lack of Sainthood. We are not Roman Catholics. The most important thing for glorification is veneration among the faithful.

Michael, tell Mount Athos that miracles are not a perquisite for glorifycation.

You dont need any money or knowledge of the Russian language to get a carnal distraction in Russia. You just need to walk on a street and see the females. The majority of them look like supermodels, according to Western standards, and wear miniskirts even when it snows. And this is not an exaggeration.

You could have even more distractions in the privacy of your home at the computer. Why are we attacking this man? Again, perhaps we should consider his intentions pure and pray for his success rather than speak harshly of him.

I don't think anyone is attacking him, though I personally just find the notion that Russia is "Holier" than America to be little naïve.

An elderly Russian lady once said "America is much holier than Russia because in America, Russians went to church to find a wife instead of other places!".

Are you and Cyrillic by any chance the same person with different accounts? I know it's breaking the rules and all, but there has to be an explanation as to why we have two relatively new posters, European - who have a sense of humour, a sense of morality, and a sense of sense about them.

If I recall correctly I've chatted with Cyrillic, so either we are two different people, or I should really quit drinking ASAP .

I stay awake at night wondering, why are they hierodeacons and not diaconomonks, since deacons are already members of the hierarchy, being in major orders. I've asked several bishops, and they all seem to evade the question as if I were asking about ecumenism.

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Apart from moral conduct, all that man thinks himself able to do in order to become acceptable to God is mere superstition and religious folly. - Immanuel Kant

I also found out that most of the twin studies came from Scandinavia and if you listen to Garrison Keillor's Prairie Home Companion, one might have some doubts about the relevancy of those studies worldwide.

from nephi:Not sure if it's still a problem for you, but this is a problem I definitely have and especially when praying to the Father. I used to have Old Man Trinity icons in my icon corner which helped with this, but I've since felt that they were wrong and took them out. After I took them out I was pretty agitated because I didn't have anything to look at to help keep me from imagining an old man. But lately I've started looking at the Son when praying to the Father, since "Whoever has seen me has seen the Father." It's helped a lot.

What's the definition of heterodox? Do you even have to interrogate other Orthodox to find out if they're 100% correct on every point of doctrine?

Yes. Whenever I dine with Orthodox Christians, I quiz them on whether they recognize that the Son and the Holy Spirit are of one essence with the Father, whether they confess that the Virgin is Theotokos and that the very Word was born in the flesh from the virgin, whether they confess that Christ is made known in two natures in contemplation alone, whether they confess two wills and two energies in Christ, whether they give the holy icons the veneration due to them, whether they hold fast to the monarchy of the Father, whether they confess that the Spirit proceeds into existence from the Father alone and is manifested eternally through the Son, whether they confess that some energies of God are eternal whether they confess that God's energies are not identical to his essence, and whether they reject the impious doctrines of Luther, Calvin and the Supposed Infallibility of the wayward bishop of Rome. If they answer no to any of these, then I know to say grace silently, because God will not answer their prayers.

Following the Julian Calendar won't solve anything. It means you start your fast on November 27 (Gregorian) and don't get to celebrate Thanksgiving until December 6 (Gregorian) which is the Fourth Thursday of November on the Julian Calendar.

What to do when they say: "All ye catechumens, depart! Depart, ye catechumens! All ye that are catechumens, depart! Let no catechumens remain! But let us who are of the faithful, again and again, in peace pray to the Lord."?

Make sure you don't block the entrance since most Orthodox people arrive round about that time